DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahraini authorities have arrested several suspects in the wake of a deadly bombing targeting police in the strategically important island kingdom.

The official Bahrain News Agency quoted the public security chief, Maj. Gen. Tariq al-Hassan, announcing the arrests Wednesday. He did not provide further details.

Police say the remotely detonated blast early Tuesday in Sitra, south of the capital Manama, targeted a bus carrying policemen near a primary school for girls.

Two police officers were killed and six were wounded.

Bahrain is a Sunni-ruled kingdom that is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. It has faced years of clashes between anti-government activists and police following widespread 2011 protests that were led by its Shiite majority calling for greater political rights. Several small bombs have targeted police in recent years.

FILE- In this Friday, June 5, 2015 file photo, Bahraini community police officers search worshipers outside a Shiite Muslim mosque ahead of mid-day prayers in Manama. Bahraini authorities say two policemen have been killed and many injured in a bomb attack south of the capital. The Interior Ministry said on its Twitter feed on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 that the officers were killed in a "terror blast" in the largely Shiite community of Sitra. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)

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